The public dialogue is only days old, but already a clear majority of Calgary aldermen favour funding transit with all or most of $52-million in newly raised taxes.

Interviews with council members reveal at least eight of the 15 council members prefer putting the money toward new “rapid” bus routes, rather than refunding taxpayers, lowering civic debt or the other two options.

However, transit boosters are touting seven different transit projects that criss-cross Calgary and total $770 million. The tax fund will only cover one-third of that over its life span.

Mayor Naheed Nenshi, who’s also believed to favour transit spending, launched a flashy two-week consultation that asks Calgarians how they’d use the money. It includes a website with video testimonials from various aldermen, a mall tour starting Wednesday and a public debate hosted by Dragon’s Den star Brett Wilson — which some aldermen call too “gimmicky” for their tastes.

The public input may be of little use.

Many aldermen say their constituents have been howling for more bus and rail expansions for years. With most other revenue sources tapped out already, they see the $52-million-a-year fund as an opportunity too good to pass up.

“When you have a $12-billion unfunded plan for transit ... Calgarians have clearly said this is worth investing in. We want more. We want four-car trains. We have to listen to that,” said Ald. Diane Colley-Urquhart, chair of the transportation and transit committee.

On her own ward website poll, she said 60 per cent of respondents favoured the same option. So do many colleagues, be they from the inner city or suburbs.

Of the four other choices the city’s asking about — homeowner tax relief, business tax relief, debt reduction or neighbourhood upgrades — the three aldermen calling for a tax break form the next-largest council faction.

Council created this $52-million spending question by turning this year’s 5.5-per-cent civic property tax hike into a 13-per-cent increase by taking advantage of a lower provincial property tax take, a controversial move aldermen have done before to the frustration of conservatives.

Ald. Peter Demong doesn’t expect the city’s consultation to bring in a swell of anti-tax cries, and will instead likely draw the usual public respondents who generally tell city hall they prefer spending.

He’s also wary of the additional taxes the city might need to raise to operate several new transit routes. “For every transitway or BRT (bus rapid transit) there’s a corresponding operating budget aspect to it,” Demong said. “I’ll be asking what the ramifications of each of these are going to be.”

The city’s new web page, calgary.ca/52million, cites seven different bus projects on the city’s priority list, including a specialized bus roadway into the southeast, bus-only lanes up Centre Street and down 14th Street S.W. below the reservoir, and frequent cross-town routes.

The combined cost of all seven projects would be $770 million beyond what’s already budgeted, according to city documents. The new tax fund will bring in $260 million over five years.

Finishing the southeast transitway to the south hospital would cost $515 million on its own.

It’s not clear how council will stretch out their new transit capital fund, if that’s how they approve spending the tax dollars when decision time comes in July.

“We can start and do some every year,” said Ald. Jim Stevenson, who believes his northeast residents want that Centre Street route more than they want $126 a year back in taxes.

How aldermen want to use the $52M, by ward:

1, Dale Hodges: future infrastructure, not necessarily transit

2, Gord Lowe: ease business taxes

3, Jim Stevenson: transit projects

4, Gael MacLeod: transit

5, Ray Jones: give it back to taxpayers

6, Richard Pootmans: unavailable for comment

7, Druh Farrell: transit

8, John Mar: neighbourhood upgrades and transit

9, Gian-Carlo Carra: transit and neighbourhoods

10, Andre Chabot: give it back

11, Brian Pincott: transit

12, Shane Keating: give it back, otherwise transit

13, Diane Colley-Urquhart: transit

14, Peter Demong: give it back

Mayor Naheed Nenshi: undecided, but has said he prefers infrastructure spending

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